Peach & Basil Bourbon Smash

Posted on September 13, 2013 by abourbongal

Peaches & Herb: A Peach-Basil Smash Cocktail

Another H.O.A.G.Y (Help Out a Gal/Guy, Yeah?) from a friend, “I’ve got a sh!tload of peaches. What to do?”

Well, mix ’em with bourbon, of course!

Make a Peach and Bourbon Smash cocktail, perhaps we’ll call it Peaches & Herb? (Get it? #weareold) Celebrate the end of the week -or just getting through 4th grade homework- with this refreshing seasonal cocktail.

In a cocktail shaker muddle together:

1/2 very ripe peach

4-5 basil leaves

2 tsp honey or agave syrup

Add:

1.5 oz bourbon

0.5 oz Lillet Blanc

and a bunch o’ ice

Shake like crazy & strain into a pretty glass. Garnish with a peach wedge and sprig of basil.

TGIF!

FrankenFruit & Fennel Salad

Posted on August 2, 2013 by abourbongal

Watermelon-Tomato & Fennel Salad

It seems like every damn food magazine/blog/tweet I’m getting this summer is featuring a watermelon-tomato salad variation. Watermelon and Tomato! I KNOW tomatoes are fruits, but that combination still freaks me out on principle. Sometimes it’s featured with citrus. Sometimes cheese (usually feta). In various combinations of heirloom this and locally-sourced that. Which is awesome, but hard to get the kids to eat, quite frankly. I finally caved a few weeks ago and made this fecked up Frankenfruit combination salad for a dinner party at our place and it was a WINNER! Even in the under-21 demographic. Here’s the version I made (which is surprisingly vegan and gluten-free), but you could totally sub out other kinds of melon. I personally like it served alongside a nice, bloody, grilled T-bone steak.

FrankenFruit & Fennel Salad

3 cups watermelon, cut in 1” cubes

1 fennel bulb, sliced into 2” long very narrow slivers, plus some of the chopped fronds

1 cup (about 2 medium) heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1” pieces

2 oranges supremed*, with juice

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. champagne vinegar

A generous pinch of Hawaiian Alaea sea salt or kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl, fold gently to combine. Awesome additions: kalamata olives, feta cheese, or steak. Hells yeah.

*Supremed citrus= cut off all of the rind of the fruit, including the white pith. Holding the naked fruit in your hot little palm over a small bowl, cut in between the white section walls, releasing the bare fruit sections. Squeeze the remaining juice from the sectioned hull into the bowl. Put all the fruit sections and juice in your salad. Throw the rest of that shit in your compost, or feed it to the chickens.

Cherry-Basil Syrup for Cocktails

Posted on July 16, 2013 by abourbongal

There’s nothing quite like the tart juicy burst of a sweet, musky—and the best are almost over-ripe—cherry bursting on my tongue. Each bite followed by the quick rip-pull of the stem from between the teeth and a never-graceful pucker to release the pit. Fresh cherries piled in a bowl of ice are the perfect snack for a blazing mid-summer afternoon.

Leifheit didn’t pay us to use this pitter. We just think it’s wonderful.

Cherries have been starring in quite a few dishes in my kitchen already this summer. My neighbor has three ancient sour-cherry trees in her yard; one day last summer we picked 16 pounds (yes, pounds!) of fruit from her trees, fighting off the birds as we went. After my boys spent a half-hour using one-at-a-time pitters that fell apart after 50 cherries, I purchased a Leifheit Cherry Stoner. Those clever Germans know what they are doing in the cherry processing department: we pitted the entire mess in a little over an hour. Best $29.95 I’ve ever spent on a plastic kitchen appliance that Alton Brown would no-doubt classify as a “uni-tasker.”

This summer we’re using both farm-stand purchased sweet cherries and sour cherries. We’re making the usual cherry preserves, cherry jam, and cherry-rhubarb chutney. But every year I also put up several cherry applications specific to cocktail making: Cherry Heering (which we made in a previous post), Cherry Bounce (the Appalachian infusion of one part cherries in two parts white corn or bourbon whiskey), and I make cherry syrups and shrubs, which are classic Southern cocktail mixers. Although I use basil in this recipe, a plain cherry syrup is just as delightful and a bit more flexible for general cocktail use.

Cherry, Basil & Pink Peppercorn Syrup.

Cherry-Basil & Pink Peppercorn Syrup

This jewel-toned syrup is gorgeous mixed into Manhattans, or used instead of simple syrup to jazz up clear soda-based simple cocktails in the gin and vodka varieties. See recipes, below.

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

2 cups cherries, pitted and rough-chopped

1 handful of basil leaves

1 tsp. pink peppercorns

Over medium heat, bring all ingredients to a low simmer, stirring continuously to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture comes to a light simmer, reduce heat to the lowest setting and let barely simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Rest for at least one and up to three hours to let flavors meld.

Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a large non-reactive (ceramic or glass) container. Do not be tempted to press down on the solids or scrape the bottom of the strainer — this will give you a cloudy (although still delicious) syrup! Just let gravity do its work. Store in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.

Basil-Cherry Bellini. Yum!

Basil-Cherry Bellini

1 oz. Cherry-Basil Pink Peppercorn Syrup, strained

3 oz. chilled Prosecco

Pour cherry syrup into a chilled champagne or coupe glass. Slowly add the Prosecco (take your time, this will fizz a lot!). Garnish with a small basil leaf or two. Gorgeous!

Mint Chocolate Julep Ice Cream

Posted on July 11, 2013 by abourbongal

The last time I posted homemade ice cream photos on Instagram, my dear high school friend Boulevardier (she’s a Louisville gal, through and through!) wrote “@abourbongal – I’m challenging you to create a mint julep ice cream!”
Done and done, girlfriend! Here’s this week’s H.O.A.G.Y (Help Out A Gal/Guy, Yeah?).
This is another ice cream recipe I developed using the Ben & Jerry’s home ice cream prep method. It is SO refreshing and light. Well, the flavors are light anyway. There are about a million yummy fat grams in it. And the bourbon, and sugar. And the chocolate… Mmmmm

Mint Chocolate Julep Ice Cream. So refreshing!

Mint Chocolate Julep Ice Cream

2 large very fresh eggs
¾ cup sugar
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
1 ½ tsp. peppermint extract
2 Tbs. bourbon
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (or yummy with small chunks or shaved dark chocolate)
Mint sprigs for garnish

Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes); whisk in the sugar a little at a time and continue blending until completely combined (about 1 minute more). With the mixer on low speed, pour in the cream and half-and-half, increase speed to medium and pour in the peppermint extract and bourbon; whisk for another minute.

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions.

After the ice cream stiffens (about 2 minutes before it is done), add the chocolate, then continue freezing until the ice cream is ready.

Garnish each serving with a little sprig of mint.

Basil & Goat Cheese Salad

Posted on June 11, 2013 by abourbongal

Fresh basil and goat cheese salad with heirloom tomatoes

Heirloom tomatoes and basil pretty much scream “summer is here!” My girlfriend Saketini calls this easy salad packed with bold bright flavors a “rock star hostess” dish. It is sturdy enough to travel well, delicious at room temperature, and super easy to assemble. Plus, let’s face it: it looks freaking gorgeous. Last weekend I brought this salad to a casual pizza dinner at Lemon Drop & IPA’s house. We all ended up dragging our pizza crusts through the juicy cheesy goodness on our plates to sop up every last bit.

Basil & Goat Cheese Salad (about 6 servings)

4 medium heirloom tomatoes, cored and sliced into wedges (about 2 cups)

2 Tbs. very good olive oil

2 tsp. pomegranate balsamic vinegar

Kosher salt & very coarsely ground (or cracked) black pepper to taste

1 large bunch whole fresh basil leaves (about 2 cups loosely packed or 4 oz.)

5 oz. log goat cheese, crumbled into big chunks

Mix together tomatoes, oil, vinegar, salt & pepper in a non-reactive bowl; let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour to meld flavors. Rinse and pat dry the basil leaves, and spread in an even layer on a serving platter or salad bowl. Just before serving, crumble goat cheese over the basil and top with the tomatoes and all of the juicy goodness.

If you are traveling with this salad, place the tomato mixture and goat geese in separate containers and add to basil just before serving.

Butter-Mint “Meltaway” cookies

Posted on June 5, 2013 by abourbongal

Sweet Nostalgia: Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book (1963)

This was my first cookbook:

Well, not the one photographed here. That primordial one would still be with my mom (Grey Goose & Diet Tonic, Lime). Egg white-warped and vanilla stained from decades of use, it’s still shelved in her tidy Louisville kitchen. But GG&DTL did go on eBay a few years ago and find vintage editions for my brother, sister, and I as Christmas gifts a few years ago. Yup, my mom’s pretty awesome like that.

In fact, the first recipe I remember truly and epically failing was from this cookbook: lemon bars. When you are 8 years old semi-confidently baking on your own and use 1 Tablespoon of salt rather than 1 teaspoon, you will never forget the resulting humbling yuck. And the sibling smack talk.

Long ago I decided that if I’m going to bake, I’m going to go with some known results, and for that, my friends, Betty Crocker’s got your back. Every. Damn. Time (excepting for user error). I’ve found a handful of tried-and-true cookie recipes from this magnificent pastry compendium. After all, it’s sub-titled “A Complete Collection – for All Occasions, for Every Taste.”

True, that.

The only things I’ve modified from the original 1963 publication are that I always use unsalted sweet cream butter (rather than the margarine/shortening, or as my grandma Beefeater &Tonic calls it, “oleo”), and I often use a pinch less sugar and a pinch more salt than the recipes call for to adapt for the butter shift.

If your mom hasn’t already sent you a copy, go and find one for yourself. You will be the hit of the next mid-century modern cocktail party in the desert category. Unless some talented wombat one-ups you with a Baked Alaska. This has happened to me. Sigh.

For the beery brunch the bev-blogger Hoss on Hops and I recently collaborated on, these Buttery Mint cookies were perfect for serving with a chocolaty stout.

Butter-Mint “Meltaway” Cookies (makes about 4 dozen)

Butter-Mint “Meltaway” cookies are great with a chocolate stout. Thanks for the photo, Hoss!

I make a triple-batch of these every time*Adapted from Betty Crocker’s 1963 edition Cooky Book

1 cup unsalted butter

½ cup powdered sugar (plus additional for dusting)

1 tsp. peppermint extract

½ tsp. (or more) green food coloring

2 ¼ cups cake flour

¼ tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar, mix until combined and fluffy. With the beaters going, add peppermint extract and food coloring a drop or two at a time (it will splatter!). Sift together flour and salt, and then add to the butter mixture ½ cup or so at a time.

Mold the cookie dough into walnut-sized balls (a great kid project). Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake about 8 minutes- until set but not brown. While still warm, dip and roll in more confectioners’ sugar to coat.

*These freeze really well to keep on hand for cookie entertaining emergencies. Like hosting an impromptu beer party on a Sunday morning, for instance.

A Sassy Orange Julep

Posted on May 21, 2013 by abourbongal

Bourbon-Campari Sassy Orange Julep

It’s been one of those days. I ruined a whole batch of strawberry-rhubarb compote by leaving it on the back burner for too long unattended and it totally burnt to the bottom of the pan and splattered all over the stove. The kids are in meltdown because it’s way past pajama time on a school night “but it’s still light outside mooooooommm.” The dogs have defeated garden fence version 8.0 and trampled another generation of heirloom tomato plants, and have the baby pullets so freaked out by their barking that the chicks are huddled in a corner of the coop. (You’d think our dogs would be used to chickens after all this time, but as Sprite said, “they can’t help it, Mom. Those chicks are, like, bite-sized.”)

This is the cocktail I made tonight. To remind me that Spring means mint straight from the un-molested corner of the garden. And frothy Campari cocktails. And that compared to the truly horrific things that can and do happen to very good people, my slice of frustration is pretty damned small. I can sit in my lovely chair by the chicken coop and enjoy my view of the portion of the garden that wasn’t pummeled by Labradors. Most likely the tomatoes will recover, there will be more than enough rhubarb in my future, and our pullets will grow up to be feisty and productive egg layers. And school will be out of session soon and we’ll all get to enjoy late nights playing outside until it gets dark.

Cheers, y’all. Here’s to Spring.

Sassy Orange Julep

4-5 fresh mint leaves (plus more for garnish)

1.5 oz. bourbon

0.5 oz. Campari

The juice of ½ orange

1 oz. simple syrup (if y’all have some of that minted simple syrup left, now’s the time to use it!)

Enough ice to cover ingredients

Place all ingredients and ice in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously until frothy and chilled through. Pour into a tall glass and add another 1-2 oz. of club soda if it’s a particularly warm day. Garnish with mint & and orange slice.

Sunday Brunch: DIY Red Beer Bar & a Layered Potato Baked Omelet

Posted on May 19, 2013 by abourbongal

DIY Red Beer (AKA “Beery Mary”) Bar

In much of the rest of the USA, Sunday Brunch is a competitive social endeavor. Restaurants, soccer moms, sports tailgaters, BBQ enthusiasts, and country clubs vie for popularity in the brunch time slot: That halcyon time when everyone leaves church, and are starving, but want to show off their fancy duds in public before they head home and put on sweatpants.

A Bourbon Gal and Hoss on Hops= Trouble

Not so much in Utah. For most of the Beehive state’s denizens, Sunday means church and family, with neither commercial nor social deviation outside this box. It goes without saying that both caffeine and booze are verboten. My LDS* friends also often fast as part of their weekend of prayer and mindfulness. I will repeat in case you missed it the first time: No coffee. No Mimosas. Non-Atkins induced food deprivation. I know, I’m constantly amazed at their fortitude, too.

In case you are still hyperventilating at the thought, perhaps you just need a little re-visualization. Since I moved to Utah over 8 years ago, now Sunday morning means a wide open playing field for we non-Mormon remainders: Bring on first tracks in the fresh powder! Hassle-free trips to Trader Joe’s, Home Depot and Costco! Irish pubs showing European football (but you can only get a Bloody Mary after 12)! Sure, kids, you can play in the street- there’s no traffic! Breathe deep, you’ll get through it too.

Okay, so, back to today. This weekend it was my turn to host our rotating “beer-vana” group. Between baseball, lacrosse, turkey hunting season and the general mayhem of spring, it’s hard to find a weekend night when we can all meet up with all of our kids. Thus: we met for Sunday Brunch.

Saketini and Smoked Porter digging in. Well, Sake will after her Pepcid kicks in #asianproblems Love ya, girlfriend!

My buddy IPA (aka the beer blogger “Hoss on Hops“) and the other members of our sketchy beer club came over with their collective spouses and kids. IPA supplied the brew from his seemingly magical beer fridge, and I provided all of the “Red Beer” fixin’s. A Red Beer is basically brew mixed with any combination of tomato juice, Clamato (yes= clam juice + tomato), spice, and citrus. Some folks like to have a 1 part tomato juice to 2 parts beer ratio. Others go half-and-half, or mostly beer with a splash of tomato; or just beer, spice and lime (like a traditional Mexican-style Michelada). That’s the great thing about the mixing bar- everyone gets it just the way they want it! Here are some of our favorite combinations:

Durango smoked sea salt rim; lime juice, Tapatio hot sauce; tomato juice; Negra Modelo beer
Old Bay spiced rim; lemon juice, Worcestershire, and Crystal hot sauce; Clamato juice; Red Stripe beer
Ancho chile powder and sea salt rim; lime juice, Cholula hot sauce; tomato juice; HopNotch IPA
Bacon salt rim; lemon juice, Worcestershire, Baron scotch bonnet hot sauce; a tiny splash of tomato juice; Carta Blanca or Pacifico beer

For nibbles alongside our cocktails, we kept it kid-friendly with chips and salsas. I also made appetizer-sized bites of my modified Spanish-style potato tortilla, which can be made using dinner leftovers (keep those extra steamed potatoes, grilled peppers, and green beans. You’ll use ‘em!).

I set out a “build-your-own-sandwich” spread for grazing with lots of bread, deli meat, cheese, and condiment choices. My gals Saketini and Lemon Drop brought delicious fruit and salads. Clean-up was a snap. I only used one vessel for actual cooking: score!

Now, time for my nap.

Layered Potato & Egg Baked Omelet (serves 8-10 as an appetizer)

2 medium red potatoes (skin on) steamed until soft but still firm, sliced into 1/8” thick rounds

½ cup steamed thin green beans, cut into 1-2” long pieces

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (or, if you like it spicy, two roasted red jalepenos – YUM!)

7 eggs

¼ cup half-and-half

2 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper

½ cup plain Greek yogurt

2 Tbs. Sriracha hot sauce

½ cup chopped green onions

Method (Preheat oven to 350 degrees):

Spray a 9”x9” ceramic or glass baking dish with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Line the bottom and sides of the dish with a sheet of parchment paper (this helps prevent the omelet from sticking and makes it easier to cut later). Spray a light coating of oil on the parchment paper.

Layered Potato Baked Omelet with Sriracha sauce

Spread the sliced potatoes in one layer equally over the bottom of the baking dish; overlapping pieces as necessary to fit them all in. Sprinkle green beans and red pepper evenly over the top of the potatoes. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, salt, pepper, and half-and-half until well combined. Pour slowly over the vegetables to cover evenly.

Bake about 35-40 minutes, or until puffy and cooked through.

Meanwhile, combine yogurt and Sriracha sauce in a small jar or squirt bottle. Shake to combine well.

After the omelet is done, let rest on the counter until cooled enough to touch (about 15 minutes). Invert onto a large cutting board, and gently remove parchment layer from the omelet. Cut into 1” cubes with a sharp knife.

Arrange on a platter; drizzle generously with Sriracha-yogurt sauce; sprinkle on all the green onions. Great warm or at room temperature (reserve sauce & onion garnish until just before serving). Enjoy!

*LDS is the preferred abbreviation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. AKA, The Mormons.

Our first H.O.A.G.Y (Help Out a Gal/Guy, Yeah?): Cucumber Gimlet

Posted on May 18, 2013 by abourbongal

Of course we take requests here at A Bourbon Gal!

My girlfriend Dirty Martini wrote me, “I can’t make a decent cucumber gimlet. Help!”

Cucumber Gimlet

Now, first of all, my gal Dirty Martini has MAD cocktail skillz, so I’m sure her gimlet is pretty tasty, but she is always looking for a more-perfect beverage. And if you’re going to spring for some Very Good Gin (which she does, like Hendrick’s) you want it to be awesome.

Back in the day—meaning Prohibition, gin’s sparkly heyday—a gimlet was usually made with equal parts gin and sweetened lime juice. Another popular gin cocktail, the Gin Rickey, used almost equal parts gin, club soda, and lime juice. Post-WWII, gimlet recipes using lime juice with vodka and either powdered sugar or simple syrup often replaced gin-based cocktails.

Nowadays, if you order a gimlet at a bar you will get a multitude of options: gin or (usually) vodka, lime or another citrus (lemon, grapefruit), and any number of vegetal, herbaceous, and/or fruity additions. A harbinger of the summer party season, super-refreshing cucumber gimlets usually contain vodka, cucumber juice or purée, lime, and sweetener (sugar or syrup). With some pretty cucumber pinwheels in a tall narrow pitcher, cucumber gimlets are lovely made in bulk for quick and easy serving at your next garden party.

Cucumber Gimlet (makes one)

I like using those tiny thin-skinned “cocktail” cucumbers now available in most produce sections. Just a gentle wash and you are good to go: no peeling off the tough bitter skin or scraping out seeds needed. I also like how agave nectar distributes evenly through the cocktail with a nice finish.

1 “cocktail” cucumber, thinly sliced (reserve 2-3 thin slices for garnish), muddled furiously in the bottom of your cocktail shaker (really- juice the hell out of it)

1 tsp. fresh-squeezed lime juice (about ¼ lime)

½ tsp. agave nectar

2 oz. gin

4-5 cubes ice

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Shake until very cold and frothy. Strain into a martini glass containing 2-3 cubes fresh ice. Garnish with thin cucumber slices.

Suddenly Summer!: Cucumber-Basil Martini with a Salish smoked black sea salt rim

Posted on May 14, 2013 by abourbongal

Cucumber Basil Martini

Holy hot spike, Batman! We went straight from snow-covered daffodils to wilting tulips to hopeful tomato plants all in one day here in the Wasatch Mountains. Even broke some early spring temps records yesterday. In celebration (and yes, respite… I’m not quite ready for the 90s yet) I broke out some of my favorite summer flavors: cucumber, basil, and the floral melody of gin. I’ve wanted to try out some of my lovely salt collection for use on more than finishing pan-seared meats, roasted potatoes, and salad dressing. These salts I’ve gathered mostly at my local Tony Caputo’s Market – where they thoughtfully provide 99 cent sample cups of various and sundry goodness so those fickle souls such as I can dabble and snack before commitment. In this case, I used a finer-grained black Salish smoked sea salt on top of a cucumber-rubbed glass rim. Delightful. Yay for Spring! Or at least the 3 hours of it we got this year.

A sampling of sea salts. In this case, I used the Salish Black Smoked Sea Salt from Caputo’s Market, but I also like the coarser grained Durango smoked grey salt for this cocktail.

Cucumber Basil & Smoked black sea salt Martini

Freeze a martini glass, or add to the glass several cubes of ice to chill and set aside.

Just before assembling, rub ½ of the glass rim with the cut edge of a cucumber and dip into the smoked sea salt of your choice.

To a cocktail shaker, add:

1 small cocktail cucumber, sliced thin (about 4 slices of cucumber- reserve 1 slice for garnish)

4-5 leaves fresh basil

2 oz. very floral gin (I’m a fan of Broker’s for this cocktail)

½ oz. dry vermouth

4-5 ice cubes

Shake vigorously until well-frosted and frothy (about 15 seconds)

Strain into the chilled and salty goodness of that martini glass. Garnish with a cucumber slice and a sprig of baby basil.

Isn’t that refreshing?

Now, don’t y’all put away your parkas and gloves yet, my mountain friends. Just having made this cocktail guarantees we’ll have a freezing spell next week. I’ve got my towels ready to cover my ‘maters, just in case.

A Bourbon Gal in Utah

DARBY DOYLE: food, booze & all things outdoors

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